shep ppp

As title what car for approx 12-14k must have 4 doors and at least 150 bhp??

greenonedave

try the alfa romeo 147 jtdm, 5 door hatchback, you might be pleasantly surprised, I have been

Blueblaster

I have a 2.2 diesel Civic. You could get an 18 month/2yr old low mileage example for your budget. It only has 138bhp but is a very smooth engine and falls in the £115 (to become £120) tax bracket.

I like the Alfas very much. However, if the 147 is too small for you it is important to remember that the 159 is much heavier than the competition and the fuel economy suffers. That said, I had a 159 1.9 diesel as a hire car for a week and thought it was frankly brilliant.

Other options are the Focus which has very nice engine and great chassis and the Astra which I think looks great and has a good engine too. The obvious options are the Leon/Octavia/Golf/A3. The Lean and Octavia are great value while you pay a lot for the badge on the Golf and A3 and you'd be looking at a much older example for your budget. Be aware that the older VAG engines in particular are powerful and frugal, but sound crap.

HTH

jespin

I know it's the obvious option but a BMW 330d is the best diesel available on that budget. Great engine, performance and a responsive drive, even for a diesel. £14k would get you a last of the line E46 with plenty of toys and 204bhp.

moneys

iTrader: (5)

mondeo st tdci fantastic motor and looks cool as ****

magicgreg

At a push you might be able to get one of the 3L Diesel Chrysler 300C's for the top end of your budget on something like an 06 plate, they took a big drop in value initially but have levelled out now, thats a lot of car for your money, I like them!

G

phil739

iTrader: (30)

seat leon fr

djmisio85

If you want something with a bit of poke, and a half decent car that you can push now and then, Id simply have to say Audi, VW, BMW or Mercedes, some might be hard to find in manual if thats what you want, but from experience, I have to say that these are the finest diesels you will find

example, audi 100 2.5 tdi
mercedes eclass 300d
bmw 330d
golf gt tdi

so take your pic ;P each maker makes great diesels, whether they be small hatches or big boats

Dream Weaver

I'll vote the Civic also, had ours over a year now and love it.

If you need space you really can't beat them.

Andy M3

Bit old now - the 159 would be my choice

http://www.caradisiac.com/media/imag...alfa-159-1.jpg

zip929

I've just got a bmw 530d for just 1k more than your 14k limit.

I must say that so far i am very impressed.

markymark34

you can either buy something newish and slower eg golf, leon 140bhp or something older and faster eg 330d.
I would go for the sport spec bmw. you should just about be able to get a 204bhp one for that money.

Mark

Blueblaster

I think it would help to narrow the choices if you could tell us the type of car you are looking for. The sort of person who would buy a 1 yr old Honda Civic is not the sort of person who will buy a 4/5 yr old big BMW. I was about to launch into a huge tirade about how you would be much happier with a nearly new hatch rather than a much older German cruiser, but that might be the type of car you were thinking about. Give us some more information so that I can have an informed row rather than an uninformed one .

Dream Weaver

Yes it does rather depend on usage - we had a 320CD Sport before the Civic which was a fine car, but would have been crap as the main family run around due to space issues.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Id opt for a BMW also, a 320 would probably suit you down to the ground, early 330's had turbo problems, not sure if they resolved that issue though

Tony

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Mondeo/Focus 2.0 Tdci, or the BMW 320d if you dont mind older/higher miles.

ont bother with the old 2.5 Audi, juicy and not that fast, in fact these days go for the smaller car with the biggest diesel they do, the Focus must fly as we have a Galaxy with that engine in and even in a big thing like that its great. I dont think the 330D, however nice is that economical.

Stephen Pope

yip, got a 55 2006 plate with 22k miles for £10,450 last week with a full tank of diesel. fab!!

Dream Weaver

320 also had turbo problems.

Our 2004 model lost the turbo at 60k miles, then the engine at 90k miles - all under warranty but cost £2000 and £3800 respectively so if there was no warranty that would be a nightmare.

It has put me off BMW's since that episode.

markymark34

It was more the early 320d that had turbo problems. Facelift 330ds (204bhp 6 speed) are pretty bullet proof.

Daft Lad

My Octavia vRS TDi PD 170 company car turns up this week, sold a lot of them myself at work and for the money they are absolutely cracking cars. I'd imagine for your budget you'd probably be looking at an 06+ example!

TheVoices

iTrader: (5)

I'd go with the Skoda Octavia too, look at the car supermarkets and see how much car you get for your money ! Cracking car and less obvious than a VW, why pay for the badge ?

deangtiuk

iTrader: (3)

Don't forget to keep an eye on the old DPF light once you get it, can cause agro if you don't regenerate the filter.